Welcome to the 2011 What Car? Awards – the 34th annual car Oscars celebrating the very best cars you can buy across 17 categories.

I can’t remember a more exciting year of car launches, with every car maker fighting harder than ever for your attention with loads of brilliant new models. There’s more choice, for sure, but there’s also more quality, more value and more fun to be had from your next new car.

What Car?’s tests have always been the most thorough out there, and we’re constantly tweaking our assessments, taking your needs and expectations into account.

So, after hundreds of thousands of miles of testing and analysis, we’re confident that the winners you’ll read about over the following webpages will put a smile on your face now and for many years to come.